Veteran Media Industry and former White House Communications Director to be Chairman of Penn Schoen and Berland and Vice Chairman of Burson-Marsteller
Washington D.C., November 5, 2007 – Penn, Schoen and Berland, a market research and strategic communications consultancy, and Burson-Marsteller, a leading global public relations and public affairs firm, today announced that they have appointed Don Baer to a senior level role within both organizations. Baer will serve as Chairman of Penn, Schoen and Berland and Vice Chairman of Burson-Marsteller.
Baer, who was a key member of the Clinton administration’s White House staff, has built an expertise in helping media and content companies extend their brands into the realm of digital media. In recent years, he helped lead Discovery Communications successful efforts to establish important initiatives in the new media space.
Baer will be responsible for helping drive new business initiatives and providing strategic counsel to clients at both firms. Baer will report to Mark Penn, President of Penn, Schoen and Berland and CEO of Burson-Marsteller. He will be based in Washington where the two companies share offices.
“I persuaded Don to join me at Penn Schoen and Berland and Burson-Marsteller because he brings enormous strategic insights and the ability to drive significant new business,” said Penn. “Don is one of the top talents in the world in strategic communications and has had an accomplished and wide-ranging career working with executives at the highest levels of the corporate, political and governmental worlds. His experience and knowledge will be extremely relevant and valuable to both firms’ clients.”
During the last eight years, Baer was a senior executive at Discovery Communications, a $3 billion global media company that is the home of the Discovery Channel. In that time, Baer reported to the company’s CEO and managed overall strategy and development, including corporate partnerships, new ventures and acquisitions; new media business development and operations, and corporate affairs, communications, research and public policy. Baer led Discovery’s efforts to establish itself as a leader in the current affairs and contemporary history categories. Additionally, he led numerous efforts to extend Discovery’s reach in partnership with major non-profit groups
“I am excited to join two of the most well-established, dynamic strategy and communications firms in the world and to be working with their enormously talented people.” said Baer. “I believe that strategic communications is becoming increasingly important and I am looking forward to helping both firms continue on their current growth tracks and to counseling their stellar list of clients and bringing in new clients.”
From 1994 through 1997, Baer served as a senior adviser to President Bill Clinton. As White House Director of Strategic Planning and Communications and earlier as White House Director of Speechwriting and Research, he helped spearhead the Clinton administration’s efforts to coordinate and promote all domestic and foreign policy. He was a key member of the Clinton/Gore 1996 reelection team.
From 1987 through 1994, Baer worked at U.S. News & World Report in Washington, first as a reporter covering the U.S. Justice Department and then as a national political reporter/writer, covering presidential politics and the White House. In 1990, Baer was named an Assistant Managing Editor in charge of several national and international sections of the magazine.
Baer began his career as an attorney working at the New York City-based law firm of Patterson, Belknap, Webb & Tyler, where he specialized in media litigation for clients that included Dow Jones & Company and the New York Daily News.
Baer earned a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and an M.A. in International Relations from the London School of Economics. He holds a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa.
Baer serves on various boards of directors, including the non-profit boards of City Year DC and The Georgetown Day School in Washington, D.C.
About Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates
Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates (PSB) (http://www.psbresearch.com/) is a market research and strategic communications consultancy with over 30 years of experience in leveraging unique insights about consumer opinion to provide clients with a competitive advantage – what we call Winning Knowledge™. Using a powerful hybrid approach developed from our high-profile work in the corporate, political, and NGO contexts, PSB is a trusted top advisor to Corporate CEOs and national leaders around the world.
About Burson-Marsteller
Burson-Marsteller (www.burson-marsteller.com), established in 1953, is a leading global public relations and public affairs firm. It provides clients with strategic thinking and program execution across a full range of public relations, public affairs, advertising, and web-related services. The firm’s seamless worldwide network consists of 57 wholly-owned offices and 46 affiliate offices, together operating in 59 countries across six continents. Burson-Marsteller is a part of Young & Rubicam Brands, a subsidiary of WPP (NASDQ: WPPGY), one of the world’s leading communications services networks.